Language Across the Curriculum

Language Across the Curriculum (LaC) is a programme offered at HKUGA College that aims to equip students with the language skills that help them in learning the academic content of different subjects. This year, Language Across the Curriculum was offered as an ELA to S1 and S4 students. The sessions are designed to provide students with opportunities to learn and practice the language that is needed for them to excel across different subjects. 

As students begin their academic studies in S1 at the College, some students may find the skills needed to navigate each subject to be more complex than before. The LaC (Junior) programme, led by Ms. Vanessa Ma, is designed with this caveat in mind. Each session begins with a warm-up activity where students are encouraged to interact with their peers in the programme through which they gain the opportunity to practice the skills covered in the previous lesson. In Term 1, the emphasis was put on supporting students’ smooth transition to an EMI school. Topics such as courtesy language and note-taking skills were introduced as a means of helping students to effectively communicate and take charge of their studies in a new environment. In Term 2, students progressed through more advanced topics such as using procedural questions for Philosophical Inquiry (PI) sessions and report writing for various subjects such as English and Science. 

The LaC (Senior) programme aims to help students bridge the gap between the junior curriculum and the senior curriculum. The senior years are certainly a time when students begin refining their skills in preparation for the HKDSE. With this in mind, the senior LaC sessions include topics such as Academic English and Research Skills, which help students build up the practice of writing more effectively and extensively. In Term 2, students were introduced to skills that would help them prepare for their exams. Activities were designed to help students gain a deeper awareness of question analysis and understanding instructions, all of which are elements integral to success in the public exam. 

With current trends in education emphasizing on students’ cross-curricular capabilities, it is hoped that upon the completion of the LaC programme, students will be equipped with the capability to apply relevant skills flexibly to different academic domains.